Conflict on project implementation: A case of Sabyinyo Community Livelihood

Abstract

All over the world implementation of the community-based projects involve execution of activities by team leaders elected from the self-help group whose composition is not based on professionalism but by membership and therefore faced with conflict challenges. Effectively managed conflicts can have positive outcomes while unresolved conflict undermines projects and relationships, as well as the morale and reputations of stakeholders. The views that project managers have on resource allocation, management structure, personal differences and communication styles influences successful implementation of projects except resource allocation that influenced project implementation negatively as increasing cost of project, extension of project time, scope and quality of project. Where project managers have managed to identify, analyze, and evaluate these positive and negative factors influencing conflict on project implementation, successful stimulation and use of conflict management to increase the performance of project implementation has been realized. The purpose of the study was to analyze the Influence of conflicts on project Implementation in Rwanda with focus on Sabyinyo Community Livelihood Association (SACOLA) project. The sample was drawn by purposive sampling techniques with target population of 232 and 70 sample size. Data was collected using questionnaire with both open-ended and closed-ended questions. Means, percentages and standard deviations were used to describe the demographic variables of the participants. The study inferred that indeed resource allocation was the biggest influence on conflict during the project implementation at SACOLA. However, it was concluded that management structure, personal difference and communication style had no major influence on conflict during the implementation of projects. The study recommends that donors should conduct intensive feasibility study on the viability of projects based on definite number of beneficiaries to avoid over stretching available resources